“I say then, Hath
God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite,
of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away
his people which he foreknew. Wot
ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? How he maketh
intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down
thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the
answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of
Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according tothe election of grace” – (Rom.11:1-5).

Remnant means – (a small part – a small
remaining group of people). Paul uses the example of Elijah and the 7000
faithful in the days of great apostasy in Israel, to show that God always has a faithful remnant chosen and elect unto
himself. The devil never wins them all over to himself,
even in the worst of times. There is only an elect remnant of Jews saved in every
generation and Paul was one in the early church generation. And there is only a
remnant of elect Gentiles saved in every generation. In every generation, there
are only a few born again of both Jew and Gentile – only a remnant. Are you a
part of the remnant? O’ the marvelous grace of God to be included in the 7000
group, the remnant, one of the chosen few to be included in the true church of Jesus
Christ.

How many constitute a remnant? I’m told that
one of a thousand Jews get saved today – one tenth of one percent – a very small remnant. Elijah and his
7000 remnant of a probable 5 to 6 million Jews in Israel also comes to one tenth
of one percent. No wonder Elijah felt he was totally alone – that’s a very
small remnant. How many make up the remnant in the U.S. of Gentiles? Is it more
than with the Jews who are especially hardened to the gospel? During the great
tribulation a great multitude of Gentiles get saved, but it’s only a pitifully
small remnant of 6 billion people on earth. Most don’t repent and get saved.
And in the same (chap.7 of Rev.) are 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each tribe, who are
especially marked for God during the great and terrible day of the Lord. They
are at the very least, a part or all of the Jewish remnant.
“Except the Lord ofhosts had left us a very small remnant, we should
have been as Sodom…” – (Is.1:9). Only Lot and his two daughters escaped like the scapegoat from God’s fiery
judgment and wrath upon Sodom.
A very small remnant indeed. Only a very small remnant today is standing up for God’s
truth in the Bible concerning gays. Most of the churches are falling in line
with the world in making the vile sin of Sodomy acceptable even in the face of Aids.
PTL for the remnant.

We see the great tribulation faithful remnant of both Jews and
Gentiles saved by Jesus Christ who stand fast for Christ during the most
terrible persecution the church has ever seen. Though the dragon (Satan)
thought his Beast, persecutes and kills all who will not bow the knee to Antichrist
or receive his mark, the elect remnant will be found faithful to Christ. As it
is written – “And the dragon was wroth
with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep
the commandments of God, and have thetestimony
of Jesus Christ” – (Rev.12:17). It is always the elect remnant that remains faithful to the Lord even during great
apostasy from (Gen.3:15) to Revelation. They fight the good fight of faith and
don’t succumb to the world. PTL – there is always a remnant marked off from a
corrupt world and corrupt religions and who are characterized by genuine
attachment to Christ. They are the separated ones, the New Testament Nazarites, if you will (2 Cor.6:14-18), that live holy and
Godly lives. To claim that the U.S. has 40% born again people is a laugh in this
wicked and ungodly nation. And to claim that so many Americans will go up in
the rapture that it will totally disrupt our nation is foolishness. It will
only be a very small remnant – amen.

We today also have a Christian remnant in the
midst of Christendom’s ruins who are true to Christ
and His Word. God has in these last days of evil and darkness, a true remnant who
live for the Lord Jesus, when you can’t tell the difference between the church
and the world. They are the overcomers that overcome
the apostasy of the hour. There was only a faithful remnant saved by graced in
the days of Noah – “When once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the Ark was a preparing, whereinfew
that is, eight souls were saved
by water” – (I Pet.3:2). Few saved – always just a remnant. “For many are called, but few are chosen” – (Mt.22:14). “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is
the way which leadeth unto life and few there be
which find it” – (Mt.7:14). “Thou
hast a few names even in Sardis
which have not defiled their garments:and
they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” – (Rev.3:4). A few –
none in some churches - one or a few in others – such it is today. We have
there in this church, a vivid contrast between dead cold nominal professors and
a few born again, true-hearted, earnest lovers of Christ who are the faithful
remnant.

When Gods’ judgment fell upon Israel and He
carried them away to Babylon for 70 years, only a godly remnant returned to Jerusalem to rebuild and restore the nation
again. “And now for a little space grace hath been showed from the Lord
our God, to leave us a remnant to
escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God maylighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving
in our bondage” – (Ezra 9:8). Only 42,000 Jews returned back to Israel
after 70 years – out of millions, only a Godly remnant. And the same grace of
God today preserves a remnant in Christ. Most of the Jews loved the city of
man, Babylon, better than the city of God – Jerusalem.

It is written in (Is.10:20-22) “And it shall come to pass in that day, that
the remnant of Israel…- the remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return.” Here
we see the Jews brought back to Israel in these end days. Out of the 5 million
Jews in Israel now gathered out of all the nations, a remnant shall be saved.
Most have returned to the land of Israel but haven’t returned to the Lord – (Is.10:21). Only a few will return
to the Lord out of all the Jews who returned to Israel. God’s Word tells us the
same thing in (Is.11:11) “And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his handagain the second time to recover the remnant of his people..” The faithful remnant of Jews, the
elect remnant according to the election of grace, will get saved in Israel
today. They will return to the Lord Jesus.

Yes, Elijah and his 7000,
are examples of the faithful remnant that God has in every generation. And we
can see this clearly with God’s last two prophets, the witnesses of (Rev.11). These
two Elijah witnesses, filled with the Holy Ghost, preach for 3 ½ years and
finally end up in Jerusalem where they are killed and their bodies are left in
the street to rot with no burial. But God authenticates His prophets and raises
them from the dead and they ascend up to heaven before the eyes of the world –
“And the same hour was
there a great earthquake, and the tenth
part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand. And the remnant were
affrighted, and gave glory to the Godof
heaven” - (Rev.11:13). They would not allow burial of the last prophets of
God and now 7000 are buried alive in the ruins of Jerusalem. When Elijah
thought himself alone, God spoke of a 7000 remnant whom he had preserved. Here
things are reversed. Here is judgment and 7000 are killed, like the false
prophets of Baal. But then comes theremnant.
The rest of the verse shows us the remnant of Jews who believe the preaching of
the two witnesses. They watched them resurrect and ascend to heaven, and they repented
under fear of God and ‘gave glory to God.’
God’s prophets do not preach in Israel for nothing. A remnant is saved by these two Elijah prophets. This remnant turns
in faith to Jesus Christ and this is the remnant that returns to the Lord.
Certainly some of them are a part of the 144,000 Jews of (Rev.7). They have
their eyes unveiled and unblinded and they get saved
– (see 2 Cor.3:7-18). “Nevertheless when
it shall turn to the Lord, the veilshall
be taken away” – (vs.16). They will not worship the image of the beast.

Giving glory to God is tantamount to
repentance because that’s exactly what it represents in the Bible. “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and
give glory to him: forthe hour of
his judgment is come..”–
(Rev.14:7). “And men were scorched
with greatheat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over those plagues and theyrepented not to give him glory’ –
(Rev.16:9). But the remnant do repent and do give God
glory. See also (Rev. 4:9-11) – (Luke 17:15-18) – (Jn.8:24) – (Rom.4:20) – (2
Pet. 1:21) – (Acts12:23) – (Ps.97:8,115:1) – (Josh.7:19,20)
– (Is.42:12) – and (Jer.13:15,16). The remnant repents and turns to the Lord
Jesus after the earthquake and give God the glory - amen. This is individual
salvation, but at the second coming of Christ at Armageddon there will be national
salvation of the remnant of Jews left in Israel – “And so all Israelshall be
saved..”– (Rom.11:26) - all Jews who are left in Israel – the final remnant.

In every generation, even in the darkest of
times, we find a devoted remnant dear to the Lord Jesus. There will be a true
remnant of Jews and Gentiles waiting and prepared for the second coming of
Christ – both at the rapture and the glorious appearing of Christ. Are you a
part of this elite group? Are you born again and one of God’s elect, faithful remnant? If you’re not – repent of your sins and believe on
Christ in your heart by faith in order to have the imputed righteousness of
Christ. Then you will be a new creature in Christ, One of the remnant.“Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to
theelection of Grace.” God’s
remnant is saved by grace. “That in the
ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast” – (Eph.2:7-9).